Bathtub drain



J. l.. FRUIN BATHTUB DRAIN Filed Nov. s, 1922 e'sheetsl-sheet 2 lll lli

Patented Jan.. 20, i925.

JOHN L. FRUIN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLNOES; ROBERT E. FRUIN EXECUTOR OF THE SAIDJOHN L. FRUXN, DECEASED.

BaTH'ruB naam.

Application led. November 3, 1922. Serial No. 598,719.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, .loi-1N L. FRUiN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful improvements in Bathtub Drains, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of plumbing, and has reference moreparticularly to an improved construction of bathtub drain.

The drain line of modern bathtubs is located within the vertical heightof the floor of the bathroom, and commonly includes what is known as adrum trap to maintain a seal, and this trap commonly has the lid or capwhich closes its upper end disposed substantially Hush with the topsurface of the flooring. This drum trap and the drain line leadingtherefrom to the soil stack are installed before the flooring is laid;and it not infrequently happens that when the flooring is laid the upperend of the drum trap is either above or below the top surface of thefloor, and it is impossible to readjust the drum trap to the requiredposition without taking down and relitting the pipe line connectionstherefrom to the soil stack.

One object of my present invention is to provide a drain line for thebathtub of such a character that, after the trap and its pipe line tothe soil stack have been installed, the trap can be bodily adjusted in avertical direction to bring its upper end flush with the floor surfacewithout the necessity of taking down and refitting the drain line eX-tending therefrom to the'soil pipe.

As is well known, bathtubs are commonly located in one corner of thebathroom, and those of the built-in type frequently extend lengthwisebetween two opposite walls. rlhe drain outlet extends from one end ofthe tub to a controlling valve housed within one of the end walls or theside wall adjacent to the tub; and from this control valve the drainline entends within the vertical space of the floor into the drum trap.Heretofore, owing to structural features of the drum trap, includinghorizontal inlets and outlets at diametrically opposite points, thisdrain line from the controlling valve to the drum trap has been fixedand incapable of adjustment as to direction. Mainfestly, a drum trap soconstructed as to be capable of receiving the drain pipe from a controlvalve located at any point in either end wall or in the side wallpresents a manifest practical advantage; and another object of thepresent invention is to provide a trap of this character capable ofreceiving the drain line from the control valve located at any point inthe wall or walls adjacent to the bathtub.

A. still further object of the invention is to provide a drain systemfor a bathtub which will require less space for its installation thanheretofore, and will thus present an advantage for small bathrooms wherethe space for the several fixtures and the plumbing installation servingthe saine is limited.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent toplumbers and others skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings whereinl have illustrated two practical embodiments of the principle of theinvention, and in which- Fig. l is a top plan view of a corner portionof abathroom, in horizontal section through the walls, and with theflooring broken out, and showing my improved bathtub drain installedtherein;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same, as viewed from the bottomand side of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l on a reduced scale illustrating adrain line from the outlet of the bathtub to the drum wherein thecontrol valve is' located in a side wall adjacent to one side of thetub; and

. Figs. and 5 are views similar to Figs. l and 2, respectively,illustrating a slightly modified arrangement of the drum trap and itslead to the drain pipe within the wall which extends to the soil pipe.

.Referring lirst to Figs. l and 2, l0 designates a bathtub of thebuilt-in type, one end of which lies against a wall ll of the bathroom,while one longitudinal side thereof lies against another wall 12 that,with the wall 11, forms one corner of the room. At one end of thebathtub is the usual drain opening 18, through which, an elbow ll, and ashort horizontal pipe l5, the waste flows into a valve housing l5containing the usual tubular overliow valve indicated at 16 that limitsthe height of the water in the tub to prevent accidental overflow, andis usually actuated by a knob in the wall and an eccentric and linkconnection to the valve.

Fitted in to the bottoni of the valve housing 15 is an elbow 17, fromwhich a straight pipe sectionV 1S leads into a downwardly turned elbow19. 20 designates the drinn trap, which is provided at its lower endwith a preferably integral laterally extending upwardly turned elbow 2l,threaded at its upper end to receive the lower end ot the .downwardlyturned elbow coupling 19, therebycoinpleting the drain line troni thebathtubto the drum. Adjacent to the elbow 2l and preferably at the samelevel is a tapped boss 22 on the side of the drinn surrounding a lateralopening the axis ot which is approximately forty-tive degrees from theaxis of the horizontal arin ot' the elbow 21. lnto thevboss 22 isscrewedone end 23 ot a Z- shaped pipe 23, the oppositely extending other end23a ofwhich is screwed into a union 24 within the wall 11 which in turnis Aconnected to a horizontal pipe 25 leading to the main soil stack(not shown) and a vertical vent pipe 26. By reference to Fig. l2 it willbe seen that the pipe 23 as a whole .isinclined upwardly trom itsconnection to the y.drinn 20, thereby insuring a water seal in they drumat the level o'tl the bottom oi" ripe 25- Since the joints of the pipewith the drum 2O and the union 24 have parallel horizontal axes, it willbe'seen that the drinn can readily be adjusted upwardly or downwardly soas to bring its upper end exactly `flush with the tlooring F that islater titted around the upper end of the drinn. Since the tub itself isnot. in place at the time the flooring is. laid, this adjustment of thedrum to the floor level does not require any adjustment or alterationoi' the connections from the bottom ot the tub to the drinn, the heightof these connections reniaining constant by reason of the tact that thedistance from the top surface ot the flooring to the bottom of the drinnis always constant.

ln Fig. 3 I show an embodiment ot the invention for a sit-iiation wherethe Control valve is located in the side wall 12 ot the bathroomopposite one longitudinal side oitl the tub. ln this case pipes 15 and18, identical in 'function with the pipes 15 and 18 are employed, butdiffering only .in

length and direction to conduct the waste trom the outlet of the tub tothe valve casing 15 and thence to the drinn. 'ilhe diftlierent angularposition ot the pipe 18 is possible by reason oit the tact that theelbow coupling 19 can swing on its vertical axis to any directionrequired tor the pipe lines 18 and 18. Manitestly, it the control valveis located in the opposite end wall troni that shown in Fig. 1, theelbow coupling 1,9 can be swung still Yfurther in a clockwise directionto accommodate the pipe line lead ing therefrom to said endwall.

kpipes 23 and Q5, has a pair ot oppositeljv extending branches, one otwhich receives the pipe 25 leading to the soil stack and the other otwhich receives one end 22"" of a tl-shaped pipe 2T, the other end 2i"ol' which is connected into the tapped boss 22 ol' the drum. Theconiuctions Vtrom the drin-.i to the outlet ol the bathtub are the .sameas those shown in Fig. il, the control valve be ing shown as located inthe side wall l2; but manitestly, with the drinn in the position shownin Fig. l, the lead therefrom can extend equally well to a control valvelocated in either end wall. t is here noted that, by connecting the pipell or .l to the drinn through an elbow coupling'that is capable otswinging on a vertical axis, the construction adapts itsel't toinstallations where the control valve is located anywhere or at anypoint in the side wall or in either end walh and is thus universal inrespect to this teature. lt is further noted that the arrangement shownin Figs. t and 5 allows ot a more compact plumb ing system tor theseveral bathroom fixtures, since the bath drain vent pipe 2o, the veutpipes et the other lixtures, and the Isoil stack itsel't can all be setin the wall ll nearer to the bathtub, without locating the drinn beneaththe bathtub, (which is iiupracticable) than is possible in installationsemploying the usual drum trap with diainetriiuilly o posite openingsleadii'ig to the bathtub drain opening and the soil stack, respectively.The chief advantage oit the invention, however, resides in the tact thatit permits vertical adjustment either up or down to the floor levelatter it has been connected up to the vent and coil stacks withoutrequiring any taking down or alteration ot the connections.

l claim- 1. In a bathtub drain, the combination with a drum trap and adsicharge line both having openings 'lorined on parallel hori- Zontalaxes, of a pipe extending between and at its opposite end connected tosaid openings respectively with capacity ot swiveling niovt'zmentwhereby said drinn is capable t being adjusted bodilyv up and down, anda pipe connecting said drinn trap with the waste outlet ot the bathtub.

2. ln a bathtub drain, the combination ot a discharge line having ahorizontal opening, a` druni trap having a` horizontal opening whoseaxis is parallel to and at a lower level than the axis oit saiddischarge line ojiening, an inclined pipe toi-ined with parallel endportions connected to said openings respectively with capacity ofswiveling razen@ in nioveinent whereby said drum may be adjusted bodilyup and down, and a pipe connecting said drinn trap with the Waste outletof the bathtub.

3. In a bathtub drain, the combination olf a discharge line having ahorizontal tapped opening, a drinn trap having a horizontal tappedopening Whose axis is parallel to the axis of said discharge lineopening, a pipe formed With threaded end portions extending` at rightangles to itsy interinediate portion and screwed into said tappedopenings, and a pipe connecting` said druin trap with the Waste outletof the bathtub.

d. ln a bathtub drain, the combination With a drinn trap having a radialinlet branch, of a pipe connecting said branch with a control valve ol abathtub, said pipe being` connected to said branch by a vertical swiveljoint whereby it is capable of assuining` any one of various angularpositions relatively to said branch.

5. ln a bathtub drain, the combination with a drurn trap having a radialinlet branch With an upturned end, of a pipe leading roin a controlvalve of the bathtub and having` a downturned end pivot-ally jointed tothe upturned end of said inlet branch, whereby said pipe is Capable ofassuming any one ol various angular posi tions relatively to saidbranch.

